Above: the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse in Chicago. CHICAGO—Zillow Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Hofmann testified Wednesday afternoon that a permanent loss of Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED)’s listing feed could trigger what he called a “downward spiral” for Zillow’s business, as testimony continued in the preliminary injunction hearing between Zillow, MRED and Compass.…

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Editor’s note: RISMedia will be on the ground in Chicago this week to provide live coverage of the hearing. Stay tuned to RISMedia.com for the latest updates.  A long-simmering dispute between Zillow and Chicago-based MLS Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) exploded into a public battle last month, ending up (like many recent industry disputes have)…

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Zillow announced that it is launching a personalized hub to help guide homebuyers through their home purchase in real time. Three new features also were included to give buyers and sellers more information throughout the transaction, according to the announcement.  According to Zillow, the average home search for a buyer can take up to three…

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A transaction starts with a seller, and ends with a buyer. Everything in between is theoretically flexible—though for many years, not much has changed, as sellers have relied on agents to list properties directly on local MLSs, which subsequently syndicate properties to consumer portals that have the most reach with buyers. Today, the industry faces…

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On a brisk March morning in Rhode Island, midway through one of the biggest announcements of his life, Dean deTonnancourt felt a flicker of nerves. The longtime brokerage owner had assembled his 300 agents—people he cares about deeply, many of whom had been with their national brand for years—to announce the conversion of their successful,…

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I was on the Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered podcast recently, and one of the moments that seemed to resonate most was when I walked through how I’d actually use Zillow Preview as a listing agent—the sequencing, the timing, the pitch to a seller. It was a quick example in the middle of a longer conversation,…

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Above, left to right: Zillow CEO Jeremy Wacksman, MRED CEO Rebecca Jensen and Compass International Holdings CEO Robert Reffkin Against the backdrop of a nationwide fight over listing access, data control and marketing strategies, Chicago has become a flashpoint, with MLS Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) recently cutting Zillow off from its listing feeds, ostensibly…

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The high-profile, industry-shaking battle between mega-brokerage Compass and dominant portal Zillow is back in the courtroom, as Zillow is asking a court to block a major MLS from cutting off its listing feed, claiming that Compass is engaging in an “illegal conspiracy” to promote its private listing and undermine Zillow. The 52-page lawsuit, which Zillow…

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Above: HomeServices of America CEO Chris Kelly at RISMedia’s CEO & Leadership Exchange Event in 2025. Minnesota-based brokerage giant HomeServices of America and Texas-based franchisor Keller Williams has announced they are joining a “listing data interface” that will replace MLS entry with a “controlled, brokerage-level environment,” while still promising full support and compliance with local…

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Zillow posted a strong earnings report for Q1 2026, with revenue up year-over-year as the company launches new consumer-facing initiatives.  But in CEO Jeremy Wacksman’s opening remarks to investors yesterday after the report, he specifically framed Zillow’s success as overcoming a housing market in a rut.  “We once again outperformed the broader housing market, which…

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